How World Cup expansion is driving Asia's naturalisation arms race

"When the United Arab Emirates line up against Iraq on Thursday for the fifth and final round of Asian qualification for next year's World Cup, it is likely that over half of the home starting XI in Abu Dhabi will be foreign-born. The UAE are, however, merely another participant in a naturalisation arms race in the continent that has been boosted by the expansion of the World Cup from 32 teams to 48."

"Asia's allocation has doubled from four automatic spots in Qatar to eight in North America, opening up the tournament to a new array of contenders desperate to play on the greatest stage of all. Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Australia have historically dominated World Cup qualifying, with North Korea the most recent outlier in 2010. Those six are the only teams from the Asian Football Confederation to make more than one appearance at the tournament."

"The relative lack of World Cup places for Asian nations over the decades has led to some federations from the continent lacking motivation in regards to qualifying. Fifa's expansion has changed that. In addition to the usual suspects who have already qualified for 2026, Uzbekistan, for some time the loudest knocker on the door of the exclusive club, have made it, as have Jordan. UAE and Iraq whose sole appearances came in 1990 and 1986 respectively also have a chance."

"The expansion has fuelled this drive to naturalise, Shaji Prabhakaran, a member of the AFC's executive committee, said. More World Cup places mean more hope for countries everywhere and more opportunities. They feel that if they pursue a program of naturalisation then they can fast-track to improve their quality, performance and results and so they have a chance to qualify."

The increase of World Cup slots from 32 to 48 has doubled Asia's automatic places from four to eight, prompting more nations to pursue qualification aggressively. Traditional qualifiers such as Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Australia have dominated historically, but new opportunities have raised hopes for countries like Uzbekistan, Jordan, UAE and Iraq. Federations are increasingly naturalising foreign-born players to fast-track improvements in quality, performance and results. The trend reflects strategic decisions to import talent to boost short-term competitiveness and exploit the widened pathway to the World Cup stage.

Read at www.theguardian.com